What being Tasered almost to death looks like

Appalling new footage shows cop shocking teen for so long he went into cardiac arrest

This is the appalling moment a cop electrocuted a 17-year-old boy for so long he went into cardiac arrest and almost died, captured from the teen's point of view.

The disturbing footage was shot by Bryce Masters back in 2014 after he was pulled over by former Missouri police officer Timothy Runnels, who then shot him in the chest with a Taser for 23 seconds.

Masters' video shows Runnels attempting to drag the teenager out of his car and telling him he's under arrest without giving a reason, before pulling out his stun gun and firing it.

This is the view 17-year-old Bryce Masters had of former Kansas City cop Timothy Runnels as he was Tasered almost to death back in 2014 during a traffic stop

The footage, filmed by Masters, shows Runnels attempting to drag him out of the car during a traffic stop but failing to explain why, before pulling out his Taser and firing it into the teen's chest

For what seems an eternity the Taser clicks away, sending wave after wave of electricity into Masters' chest, eventually knocking his heart out of rhythm.

Footage from Runnels' own dashcam then captured the rest - as he handcuffed the teen's body, dragged him to the back of his vehicle, and then dropped the dying teen face-first on to asphalt.

While on the concrete, with his heart failing to beat properly, Bryce's brain was starved of oxygen for between six an eight minutes.

As a result, he now suffers brain damage including anxiety, anger issues, headaches and short-term memory loss.

Meanwhile Runnels has been sentenced to four years behind bars after pleading guilty to one charge of depriving a minor of his constitutional rights.

The charge relates to the moment Runnels drops Masters on his face while in handcuffs. He was not sentenced for deploying the Taser.  

Court filings say Runnels allowed the taser current to run for about 20 seconds, which is four-times longer than officers are trained to have their tasers deployed.

At court, police also said that Runnels had pulled Masters' car over because of an outstanding warrant attached to the licence plate, but did not give any more detail.

Masters' father, who is a cop himself, and his family gave a statement following the release of Runnels' sentence.

They said: 'While we are pleased that Mr. Runnels was held accountable for his actions, no one really wins in this scenario.

'Two law enforcement families were devastated by these events and we all simply wish that day had never happened.'

At the time of the arrest, police said Masters had suffered a 'medical emergency' and needed resuscitation.  But eyewitnesses gave a different account to Fox4KC.

Michelle Baker filmed the incident on her mobile phone when she heard screams outside and says she saw the Runnels Taser the teen when he was inside his car.

In a cell phone video taken by Baker you can see the officer dragging the teen's body to the sidewalk, then standing with his foot on the teen's back.

You could tell the kid was going into convulsions. 'He turned him over and his head was dangling like this and he had blood coming out,' said Baker.

Original report here


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